Zax, Downgrade
by casualty1fan
Summary: This is a fanfic about how max supports Zoe when Connie takes over as clinical lead, please R&R and let me know what you think
1. zax

**This is an idea for another zax fanfic I had, it is about how max supports zoe over the whole Connie taking her job thing so please R&R  
this is a chapter that is going to be shorter than usual to see if anyone actually likes the idea so let me know what you think via review, PM or twitter I am claireeaford**

Max walked into the ED with a 2 coffees and a donut in his hands, he had got the coffees as he knew that zoe would want one after last night and max also knew that she wouldn't be in long after him as he had spent the previous night at her's.

Max set the 2 coffees on the reception desk, it was obvious that it was going to be a busy and stressful day, especially for zoe.

Noel went to grab the donut but max stopped him.

"Why can I not have a donut" said noel

"Only special people get donuts" said max smiling

Noel rolled his eyes thinking the donut was for max but noticed the second coffee sitting on the desk.

"Can I at least have the coffee" said noel as the stressfulness of the day was already getting to him

"No" said max smiling

Zoe walked into the department looking flawless as always and headed up to reception remembering the paperwork she had helped Louise with last night.

"Everything ok with the paperwork" said Zoe looking up at Louise who was obviously stressed out

"Yea, thanks" said Louise smiling "your a lifesaver"

"Well I aim to please" said Zoe

"And you certainly do" said max smiling at Zoe

Zoe glanced over at max when she realised he was standing at reception, she smiled at the 2 coffees he had with him realising that he had remembered the awful Hangover she had from the previous night.

Max handed Zoe the coffee and smiled when he saw Noels reaction as he was obviously more stressed out at the minute than Zoe was.

"Thanks" said Zoe smiling "you a lifesaver"

"Happy to be of service" said max smiling back

Zoe was about to walk away when she saw the donut max had.

"you having a donut for breakfast" said zoe smiling at max as she realised that she had totally forgotten about breakfast in her rush to leave the house

"Not anymore" said max realising that Zoe wanted the donut

"Thanks" said Zoe smiling and taking the donut

Max sipped her warm coffee while watching Zoe walk into her office, he turned around and realised that noel was looking at him.

"Special person?" said noel raising his eyebrows


	2. promotion

**Thanks for all your reviews, please keep leaving them and tell me what you think as the story progresses****J**

"Ah I get it" said noel after a minute of silence

Max looked at the ground he was afraid that after just 1 month someone was about to let him know that they knew about his and zoe's relationship because it wasn't as if they hadn't been flirting in hospital grounds and in public.

"You want a promotion" said noel smiling as he had thought that he had finally found out why max was so attached to Zoe, a relationship had crossed his mind but he had quickly ruled it out

"Yea" said max slowly as he had no idea how a porter would get promoted with his lack of qualifications but thought as long as noel thought that, it would do until he could think of a better excuse.

"Good luck" said noel smiling and walking off "zoe only likes males of the doctor or surgeon type"

"I'm not sure about that" said max under his breath

"What" said noel quickly turning around

"Nothing" said max who walked around the corner

Max waited 2 minutes until he was sure noel had gone and nobody was looking before he slipped into zoe's office, he knew the code off by heart after all it was the same as her phone lock that he had seen her type in millions of times.

Zoe looked up expecting Connie to be looking down at her but instead she had a surprise as she smiled at max's face admiring her beauty.

"How did you get in" said Zoe tiling her head to the same

"2143" said max who jumped onto the sofa making himself at home

"What" said Zoe raising one eyebrow

"Your office door code" said max as if it was obvious

"Oh" said Zoe nodding her head not caring that max knew her office number

"She what can I do for you?" said Zoe after a couple of seconds of silence

"No, what can I do for you?" said max smiling

Zoe looked at him lying on the sofa and smiled at his cheekiness, well she did until Connie walked in.


	3. laughing

**Thanks for all your reviews, please keep leaving them and tell me what you think as the story progresses.**

Connie had her eyes on max from the minute she walked into the office, her eyes were stuck on him as she slowly walked around and sat at her desk, max just looked at Zoe who couldn't help but smile and place the back of her hand over her mouth as she quietly began to laugh.

Max smiled when he saw her, he always thought that she was beautiful when she laughed and so he looked at Connie and smiled giving no explanation to why he was her and zoe's shared office.

"I better go" said max as he was finding it hard to keep the laughter in

"Yea" said Zoe who had finally stopped laughing and was now smiling "I will get that thing done for you"

"Thanks" said max smiling and looking over at Connie who was still looking at him

Max made a quick exit and Zoe began to do her work with a firm smile of her face that for once Connie was going to find very hard to erase.

"What was all that about" said Connie looking down at her paperwork after a minute of silence

"Oh, just stuff" said Zoe who found it hard not to laugh as she was thinking of max

"Stuff" said Connie who suddenly looked up at Zoe

"Yea stuff" said Zoe

"Something that is still making you smile" said Connie leaning over the desk slightly

Connie had once again managed to make Zoe's smile disappear.

"I am aloud to smile" said Zoe who was scowling through her emails

"Yes of course" said Connie who wasn't all convinced

Zoe suddenly got up and walked to the door, she wanted a much need and overdue cigarette.

"Oh and while you're out there you can tell your smoking buddy to only be in this office if it's an emergency" said Connie who knew where Zoe was going.

"Smoking buddy?" said Zoe who didn't know who Connie was referring too

"The porter" said Connie waving her hand in the air

"Oh max" said Zoe smiling

"Yes, the one that makes you smile for no particular reason" said Connie with a hint of sarcasm in her voice

Zoe just smiled and raised her eyebrows before slamming the door behind herself.


	4. just one kiss!

**Thanks for all your reviews, please keep leaving them and tell me what you think as the story progresses.**

**And sorry this is a bit of a cliffhanger!**

Zoe sat against the wall smoking her cigarette, it was the one place where Zoe and max always met up when it was max's break.

Max came around the corner and slide across the wall until her was right beside Zoe who all lough she couldn't see him knew that he was the only person who knew except from Tess where she smokes and Tess never would disturb Zoe when she was smoking unless it was an emergency.

Zoe threw her cigarette on the ground when it was finished and stood on it to make sure it was out, max smiled at zoe before standing in front of her so that he could have a conversation with her, that was part of his normal act with zoe around the hospital.

Zoe smiled once more before turning her head to the side, she didn't want anyone to find out about max and her relationship just yet because all zoe's relationships had ended in heartbreak after the staff had started gossiping but she couldn't even say that her and max were in a relationship but one thing she did know was that she really does like max.

Max could sense that Zoe was in her own world so he leant into kiss her knowing that she would push him away like she had done before the first time he tried to kiss her in the hospital grounds.

"Inappropriate" said Zoe as she pushed him back smiling

"Sorry forgot…..inappropriate" said max sarcastically

"Exactly" said Zoe smiled and leaning her head against the wall that was behind her

"So when isn't it inappropriate?" said max smiling

"Because last time it was just behind that wall over there" said max who pointed to the wall where Zoe had kissed him after that stressful day at work a couple of weeks ago

"Shut up" said Zoe to max with no emotion on her face

"Too suspicious, us having a conversation?" said max who stepped away from Zoe with his hands up showing her that he surrendered

"No, it is suspicious us having a conversation outside the ED about are relationship 5 minutes after are break ended" said Zoe who was acting very seriously

"So it is a relationship?" said max smiling

"I don't know" said Zoe looking at the ground, she had never been nervous around max before

As soon as Zoe looked up max had pressed his lips against hers, they were stood outside the hospital in plain view.


	5. quit!

A week passed and Zoe was finding it harder and harder to deny that her and max were in a relationship as they were not serious but were getting there.

It had been a hard day for Zoe, she had been trapped in a helicopter wreak which she shouldn't have even been in, in the first place so when she came back she wasn't in the best of moods.

"Zoe" said max puling Zoe into a hug when she arrived back at the ED

Max had been worried about Zoe for most of the day and is heart broke when he heard Tess telling Connie and Charlie that Zoe was trapped.

Zoe quickly returned the hug max had given her and pulled away as soon as Connie appeared.

"Zoe" said Connie who walked on into the ED

Zoe slowly walked behind her smiling as she knew that she had pulled the right strings but Zoe's smile soon faded when she saw guy self-waiting at reception.

"Mr self" said Zoe as confidently as she usually did

"Dr Hanna" said guy in his usual professional voice "I have been told that you have just abandoned your ED"

"No doubt who told you" said Zoe who glanced over at Connie

A couple of people started to gather round knowing that this would probably be round two after zoe and Connie's fight a couple of weeks ago.

"Dr Hanna, did you or did you not abandon your ED" said guy

"Yes" said zoe "to save a girl's life"

"Should we take this into my office?" said guy

"No" said zoe "I don't ned to take this into your bloody office"

Guy looked at Connie who just shrugged her shoulders.

"I quit" said Zoe loudly and clearly

"What" said guy

"You heard me" said Zoe "you can shove your job because life is too short for me to be hanging around you and your consultant girlfriend"

Connie looked to the ground and guy self just looked deep into Zoe's eyes.

"I am going to go home forget about this job and spend some time with my boyfriend" announced zoe "and don't even bother disturbing me"

Zoe just walked out of the ED but could feel max's smile follow her.


	6. return

**the chapter is longer than usual because i am going away for the weekend and wont be able to update until sunday, but please review and i will update on sunday if i get 13 reviews:)**

max was proud of zax that day she had stood up in the ED, it wasn't just because she had finally admitted that they were more than just a fling but because she had stood up for what she had believed in.

two weeks past and once again Zoe's heels clicked through the ED as it was a Wednesday morning and her shift was about to start, she passed Connie's office remembering how it was once her's and Nick Jordan's before that, she had good times and bad in that office but still couldn't get her head around how Connie had so easily ripped the good ones up when she returned to the ED and forced zoe into giving up her job threw stress.

Zoe remembered that day like it was yesterday.

After zoe had managed to take her eyes off the words "Connie Beauchamp, clinical lead" that were stuck onto her old office door zoe walked around the corner and near bumped into max who was carry 2 coffees.

"Just the person I was looking" said max smiling and handing Zoe a coffee

"Thanks" said Zoe taking the coffee

It was only zoe's first day back after the whole Connie thing as she had a week off to distress and max was glad that he now finally saw the old zoe Hanna who was never stressed and never depended on anyone.

"Still getting used to it" said Zoe who sensed what max was thinking

"Yea" said max "I'm still getting used to it too"

"Yes Mrs Beauchamp" said max sarcastically "shall I wipe your ass Mrs Beauchamp"

The last comment made Zoe laugh, she had managed to swallow her coffee, max was glad that he had managed to cheer her up a bit.

"Is she really that bad?" said Zoe who was now smiling at max's comment

"Yes" said max smiling "you were way better"

"Glad to hear it" said zoe smiling and taking another sip of her coffee "but you're the only one that feels that way"

"No I'm not" said Max to Zoe's surprise "she is doing everyone's head in, even ash has to call her Mrs Beauchamp now"

"Well I won't be calling her that" said Zoe who was stating the obvious

"Would you risk getting a warning?" said max looking seriously at Zoe knowing that she wound care

"Would she risk getting her neck broken?" said Zoe who couldn't believe that Connie would give anyone who didn't call her Mrs Beauchamp a warning

Zoe turned around and smiled when she heard max's laughs.

Zoe was on her way to her old office which Connie now inhabited, she was already annoyed about her downgrade to consultant and the week off didn't change that but what was even worse was Connie making her own rules that were almost imposable to abide by without slipping up and making a mistake, zoe had to admit that the ED was a lot calmer but that was partly because the staff that had once occupied it were hiding away like a chicken would from a fox, Connie being the fox.

Zoe couldn't believe how few people were actually in the ED expect from patients, the ED was almost deserted then Jeff ran in and too zoe's surprise except from max he was the only member of staff that she had saw so far, but even if she did see anyone they wouldn't dare talk to her as everybody needed there job and it could easily be taken away from them by Connie who was now the ruler of the kingdom.


	7. do i wanna know?

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while but I have been busy so enjoy this chapter and please review****J**

Zoe walked up to ash's office; she hadn't seen him yet and wanted to see how he was coping with new ruler, "Mrs Beauchamp"

"Nice to see you back" commented ash as Zoe waked into his office

"Well, I could say that it's nice to be back, but then again I have heard about Connie" said Zoe "or should I call her Mrs Beauchamp?"

"Well if you want to keep your job…." Began ash

"…then its Mrs Beauchamp" said zoe "I get it"

"The staff will be relieved to see you back" said ash

"Why? are they expecting there to be a village uprising" said zoe sarcastically

Zoe smiled at ash, but that smile soon faded when she saw the serious look on ash's face.

"You are joking me!" said Zoe

"Well…from what I have heard…." Began ash

"…..from what you have heard I'm supposed to be Spartacus" said Zoe with her hands on her hips

"Well, yea…" said ash

Zoe threw her hands in the air, rolled her eyes and walked to her upstairs office door which looked like it was being guarded by an anxious Ethan.

"What the…" began Zoe until she was interrupted by Ethan

"Dr Hanna" said Ethan "nice to see you back, we have missed you"

"So I've been told" said Zoe crossing her arms "so if I could just get to my office…."

"Actually, why don't we go and get a coffee" said Ethan trying to redirect Zoe

"If it's to pour over Connie's head, then yes" said Zoe

Before Ethan had a chance to speak, Zoe watched max exit her office.

"Do I really want to ask, what's going on?" said Zoe as her and max made eye contact

"No" said max shaking his head

"Right get back to work" said Zoe "Mrs Beauchamp will be waiting"

With that, Ethan was off, but max wasn't as easy to move.

"Connie" began max "doesn't scare me"

"I've guessed that" said Zoe smiling at max's rebellious side


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I have been very busy with a lot of my other fanfic's, this chapters shorter than usual (as I am updating all my fanfic's today) and sorry for any spelling mistakes but please R&R****J**

**CHAPTER 8**

Connie tried to smile as she saw Zoe sitting in her downstairs office which they now shared. Connie immediately handed Zoe a large bunch of flowers that had been left in reception.

"A porter should have brought them round" commented Connie as she handed the flowers to Zoe

"Who are they from?" asked Zoe

"The staff probably, they will be glad to have you back" Connie stood opposite Zoe as she waited for her to open the cards that came with the flowers.

'Glad to have you back, Mx'

Zoe smiled at Connie as she hid the card in her top drawer, not letting her see that max had been the one to send her flowers.

"The staff?" asked Connie

"Yea" Zoe set the flowers to her side, only glancing at Connie

"I wonder if I left, would the staff buy be flowers" Connie laughed as she sat down at her desk "or max?"

Zoe slowly turned round and looked up at Connie who had a satisfying smile on her face; Connie had Zoe right where she wanted her.

"How long have you known" Zoe felt a lump in her throught as she said this to Connie who had shown no sign of the smile disappearing from her face

"well the difference between you and me zoe, is that I know everything about my staff like what they talk about during their shift" Connie smiled as she paced up and down her and zoe's joint office "like I know, lofty has discovered that max had a girlfriend, I know that Rita thinks she works in the hospital and I know that Robyn found her four hundred pound shows on his bedroom floor"

Zoe sighed running her hand threw her hair, Connie had it all sussed out "and Zoe, I know that there the type of shoes only me or our would wear or even have the money to buy"


End file.
